There are aspects of image quality and camera complexity and cost that can be optimized for use by specific demographic groups. An example of a feature set for which the optimum configuration depends on demographic factors are those features pertaining to the reduction or elimination of the image artifact called redeye. As is well known in the art, redeye may occur when the angle between a narrow light source, the photographic subject, and the camera lens is less than approximately three degrees. This criterion is frequently met in flash exposures from compact cameras. The light from the flash enters the pupil nearly on-axis and propagates to the fundus of the eye, where it is reflected back out of the eye, having been colored red by the blood vessels in the fundus. The light exits the eye in a narrow cone, and if the camera lens falls within that cone, the red reflection will be recorded, and may appear in the final image as a red glow in the pupils, which is very undesirable in terms of image quality.
Redeye is more objectionable when the size of the pupil in the viewed image is larger and when the red saturation of the pupil is greater. The former may occur when the pupil is dilated, as occurs at low ambient light levels, or when the subject is rendered at a larger size in the image, for example due to shorter camera to subject distance, longer camera lens focal length, higher printing magnification (including zoom and crop), and/or shorter viewing distance. The primary techniques used in the camera to reduce or eliminate redeye are: increasing flash to lens separation; firing a preflash to transiently stop down the pupil in response to the bright light; and decreasing lens focal length and/or electronic zoom.
While all these methods are efficacious, all have associated disadvantages. Increased flash-lens separation may lead to more expensive and bulkier cameras and produces more noticeable shadows due to the farther off-axis lighting. After a preflash is fired, the eye requires half a second or more to respond fully, and during this delay between the preflash fire and the image capture, facial expressions of the subject often change in an undesirable fashion due to the annoyance and surprise of the preflash. The preflash also increases camera cost, reduces the power available during the main flash pulse, and increases battery consumption. Finally, restriction of optical or electronic zoom factors interferes with the photographer's ability to obtain the desired composition, with the subjects appearing large enough in the image to provide a pleasing rendition.
Digital cameras, such as the Kodak DC26O™ digital camera, sold by the Eastman Kodak Company, enable images to be utilized on a home personal computer (PC), printed locally or remotely, and incorporated into e-mail documents and personal World-Wide-Web home pages which can be accessed via the Internet. The camera's graphic user interface (GUI) enables many different features to be selected, but it is complicated, and thus, very difficult for a first-time user to understand. The camera provides a fixed set of features to the end user. These features can be controlled by Digita Scripts specified by Flashpoint, Inc. Digita Scripts are ASCII text files created with a text editor on a host computer. Such Scripts may be invoked to select particular camera features and to perform a defined sequence of camera operations. For example, a Script may capture an exposure series of still pictures using different exposure settings.
This type of camera design presents several problems, including the fact that any feature that is likely to be demanded by even a small subset of the users must be included in the camera. A consequence of this is that the complexity of digital cameras has increased. This leads to an increase in user anxiety, and therefore, serves as a barrier to market adoption.
The firmware in the DC26O™ digital camera, for example, can be replaced via a memory card, as described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,264, entitled “Electronic Imaging System Using A Removable Software-Enhanced Storage Device,” the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. Images can be assigned to albums, as described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,678, entitled “Electronic Still Camera For Capturing And Categorizing Images,” the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/977,382, filed Nov. 24, 1997, entitled “Electronic Camera With Utilization Selection Capability” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/004,046, filed Jan. 7, 1998, entitled “Network Configuration File for Automatically Transmitting Images from an Electronic Still Camera” to Ward et al., the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference, disclose digital cameras which are provided with host software that enables templates, e-mail addresses, and other information to be selected at the host computer, downloaded to the digital camera, and used, for example, to automatically produce prints and e-mail images. Although this enables user-selected information (such as preferred templates and personalized e-mail addresses) to be downloaded to the digital camera, the actual features of the digital camera normally remain the same for all users who have the same camera model.